January 28, 2011

January 27, 2011

Now, before someone adds a comment of the sort "in other related news, Audi unveiled the new A6", let us make it clear that we're not reporting on the actual Car of the Year (COTY) 2011 results, which were announced in late November 2010, but on the special ceremony that took place at the Pavillion Gabriel in Paris earlier this week to hand over the trophy to this year's winner, the new Nissan Leaf. The trophy was received by Nissan Motor Co.'s President and CEO Carlos Ghosn, who of course, was extremely happy with the results. "It is a great honor for Nissan LEAF to be recognized as the European Car of the Year - the first all-electric car to receive this distinction, " said Mr. Ghosn. "Like previous Car of the Year winners, Nissan LEAF is an appealing, competitive car, with no compromise on style, features, safety, performance or handling. Yet it stands apart as an innovative car that reflects a clear vision of the future of transportation - a vision of sustainable mobility."

Speaking at the ceremony Håkan Matson, president of the CoTY jury said: "I am convinced that we will see other electric cars named Car of the Year in the future. But when we do, we must always remember that only one can be the first. And that is why Nissan LEAF Car of the Year 2011 is - and will remain - so very special," said Håkan Matson, president of the CoTY jury, speaking at the ceremony.You can view the results in detail here, but we'll remind you that the 58 jury members from 23 European countries placed the all-electric Nissan Leaf in first place with 257 points, followed by the Alfa Romeo Giulietta with 248 points and the Opel Meriva small MPV with 244 points. This is the second time Nissan has won the COTY, the first being in 1993 with the Micra, which became the first ever Japanese model to win the accolade.

The 2011 Geneva Motor Show will host the world premiere of the Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid, a near production-ready model that is said to return a very impressive 125 mpg US (1.9 lt/100 km), with CO2 emissions under 50 g/km. In order to achieve this, engineers entered a new variable into the plug-in hybrid equation: a diesel engine.The V60’s front wheels are driven by a 2.4-liter 5-cylinder turbo diesel powerplant capable of 215HP and 440 Nm (325 lb-ft) of torque, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. At the back, there's a 70HP electric motor that powers the rear wheels and a 12kWh lithium-ion battery pack.According to Volvo, the V60 Plug-in Hybrid “features the very best properties from three different car types in one sports wagon”, including an all-electric driving mode with a range of up to 32 miles (52 km).

“In order to get true car enthusiasts to think green, you have to offer them the opportunity to drive with low carbon dioxide emissions without taking away the adrenaline rush that promotes genuine driving pleasure. The V60 Plug-in Hybrid has all the traditional properties of a genuine sports wagon. What we've done is to spice it up with spearhead technology”, said Stefan Jacoby, President and CEO of Volvo Cars.Jointly developed by Volvo and Swedish energy supplier Vattenfall, the V60 Plug-in Hybrid is scheduled to enter series production in 2012.

Kelly Osbourne may be moving on from ex Luke Worrall with the help of a new beau, but details about the formerly engaged couple's July split and subsequent fight in December are still leaking out.

Apparently the breakup and blowup all center around Elle Schneider, a model who was born a male and is awaiting gender reassignment surgery.

Schneider, 21, confessed to Us Weekly that she had an affair with Worrall, a fellow model, in New York City "a year and a few months ago" while he was dating Osbourne.

"I had no idea what was going on [with Osbourne]" at the time of the hookup, Schneider insisted.

Though the rendezvous initially seemed to be a one-night stand, Schneider claimed Worrall tried to romance her again in November 2010.

"He told me that everything with Kelly was over," Schneider said, adding that the two met up in London in December.

But Worrall was allegedly trying to reconcile with Osbourne at the same time - until the former "Dancing with the Stars" contestant found online chats between him and Schneider.

He "immediately told her that I was just a friend," Schneider alleged. "That he had nothing with me. But I guess she saw right through it. It was quite obvious through the messages that he was sending me that that was a lie."

Shortly after Christmas, Osbourne had tweeted that Worrall "made a fool of me."

"Luke Worrall is the biggest piece of sh-t, he has been trying to get back with me," she wrote, according to Us. "I only came home for Xmas to see him. Meanwhile, he has been f--king hundreds of girls ... behind my back."

Schneider seems to be corroborating that claim, telling the mag that she ended things with Worrall when she found out he was having sexual relations with other people as well.

If there's any upside to the drama, it's that Schneider made a new friend: Osbourne herself.

"She let me know that he had broken her heart once again because he basically cheated on her with me," Schneider said, describing how Osbourne contacted her via Facebook. "They were not officially broken up; she just couldn't believe he had done this to her again."

And now the two have leaned on each other as they both cope with moving on.

"I gave her an idea of who I was. I was never mean, I was never doubtful so she had to say I always believed in her," Schneider said. "And I was always there to listen when she would cry or call me. And she told me 'you know I understand what he sees in you and I respect that.'"

"I [have] no ill intent towards her," Schneider added. "She and I are still good friends."

The touring car version of Toyota's Avensis sedan has moved a step closer to its competition debut following extensive wind tunnel testing at MIRA's aerodynamic analysis facility. The Avensis NGTC (Next Generation Touring Car) is being constructed by GPR Motorsport and is scheduled to hit the tarmac for the first time in the opening rounds of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) at Brands Hatch on 3 April.As you can see in the photo below, the NGTC specification Avensis was joined in the MIRA wind tunnel by a road-going model equipped with a rear wing as the TOCA technical staff wanted to establish a baseline for the car’s aerodynamics.“We needed to fix a position for the rear wing, based on the aerodynamics of the road car, which gave the levels of downforce we were looking for,” said the championship’s technical director, Peter Riches. “I am pleased to say that this was quickly achieved, and it means that we now have a base line for all cars built to the NGTC regulations and have saved a lot of development time and potential expense for the teams.”

Toyota Avensis BTCC concept 2010

The Japanese firm is not competing in the series with a works team, but does supply the donor cars and body shells to GPR Motorsport. Up until now, two private teams - Dynojet and Speedworks - have taken up the challenge to run in the Avensis, but the company said it hoped that their example will be followed by others "looking to take advantage of the reduced costs of development associated with the new car".

It's been stated that your auto or truck tires are the lone thing linking you and the road. To give you firm handling, and superior traction, make sure you get your tires checked regularly. Bald tires are a bad idea anytime.

If you want to prevent tire harm you ought to test your tire's air pressure one time a month.

The proper tire pressure is found on the vehicle placard & can be found in the car owner's manual, beneath the gas tank lid , all along the driver's side door edge, and all along the door post.

Your air pressure found on the side of your tire is not the right air pressure for your car. That number is the utmost air pressure for the tire. Always also bear in mind to test the air in your spare tire.

Make sure you test your tire pressure one time a month. Inaccurate air pressure often is the principal cause of tire destruction

You need to prevent getting stranded or paying out costly towing fees. Verify your air pressure on your spare on a regular basis. When you've got different rims than came on your car originally, make sure that the bolts on your spare tire are the right fitting.

Failure to keep your tires properly inflated can encourage wear and will have a negative effect on your autos handling.

If you are checking and adjusting tire pressure, the following need to be kept in mind:

Check the air pressure at the time the tire is cold. Tires get hot even after traveling just a mile. If you have to drive to pump air to your tire, confirm your air pressure just before you leave. Air pressure moves 1-2 pounds for every 10 degrees of temperature difference. Air pressure goes up in warm weather and down in cold weather conditions.

To avoid hydroplaning and skidding your tires have to have proper tread depth. The minimum tread depth is 1/16th of and inch.

Ask over anyone to tell you the best technique to verify your tread depth, and they are going to tell the penny test. What's the penny test? Get a penny and rest it in the tread of your tire. If part of Lincoln's head is covered by the tread, the tires have enough tread. In the event you can see Lincoln's entire head, you should buy a new set of tires.

You might want to also test your tire tread for asymmetrical wear. Uneven abrasion shortens the life of your tires.

Your car tire pressure needs to be the same on the tires of each axle, but may be different on the front and rear axle.

Valve caps have to be tightly closed to defend the valve from dust and filth and prevent it from leaking. Install absent valve caps immediately.

Use this opportunity to inspect your tires to be certain that you have nothing stuck in them or they have no deformities.

Be certain to regularly inspect your tread depth.

If you ever think you have uneven wear it is best to take your car to your tire dealer.

Repeated tire rotation extends tire life. The best way to avoid uneven wear and tear is to have your tires rotated every 6,000 - 8,000 miles or as specified in your vehicle's owner manual.

Curbs may demonstrate to be great trouble to your tires.

Move toward curbs with attention, When you drive over them very fast or at the incorrect angle, the shock may trigger the tire to crack. Stay away from potholes or wreckage in the road when doable. Keep away from sharp stops & starts. Remember to check your owner's manual for your autos maximum load. Overloading your car could shorten your tire's life.

Make sure you trade your tires with the same type of tires that came on your car's original equipment. This consists of tire size, type and speed rating.

When it comes to making your car your very own, there are many things to consider. For example, you are going to take the matters of colour and design of your car into serious consideration. Your car is a after all a great way to express your creative side. For many people, a car is as important as a home. This makes sense, since cars are serious investments, being for most people the second most expensive thing they ever buy. This also makes sense because of how much time we end up spending in our cars, especially if you use yours to get to work and have to drive a long way! The truth of the matter is that many people are inseparable from their cars. If this sounds like you, then you may want to put some serious though into the car number plates that you have.

Personalised Number Plates

When you are shopping around for personalised car number plates, you will be tempted to go to a local business. This used to make sense for many different reasons, but in today's world there are better options. When you use the internet, you are able to have a wider variety of choices. As a matter of fact, the internet allows auto owners to have more options than ever before. When you have more options, you also have the ability to save money. You will be able to save a few pounds, which in today's economy does certainly count. We are all trying to cut back on unnecessary expenses, and if you can get high quality plates for a low price online, you should certainly take advantage of the opportunity.

Not all Sites are Genuine

Keep in mind, however, that there are many car number plates websites that are not legitimate or which do not do great work. You can often single these websites out because they do not have great customer followings or very low organic rankings on Google. They also try to lure you in with free gifts and deals that seem too good to be true. One of the best ways to check on them (and any other online vendor) is to have a look at their reviews. When you are looking for plates, however, there should be a few things that you are keeping in mind. You should be concerned with, first of all, the quality of the plates. You want plates that look good. Second, you will want a website that give you control over the design.

Check Out the Reviews - Google Does!

So when it comes to getting car number plates via the web, you can't go wrong if you check out the customer reviews and testimonials. These are most always written by people just like you who have used the company and have been supremely satisfied. This sort of feedback is important, especially when it comes to shopping online and rumours say is already being used by Google when deciding who to put into their results, especially it seems for the local 'Places' listings. So if others have used a website and have been satisfied enough to write good things about it, then there is no reason to believe that your experience will be any different. So go ahead and order.

In America, we're constantly bombarded with car commercials that all promise us a safer ride - as long as we buy the newest, most technologically up-to-date model. But how do we know which vehicle is really the best and safest - so that, even when we are involved in a car accident, we can minimize the chances of personal injury and wrongful death?

Well, there's an easy way to check on the safety rating on whatever manufacturer model you're considering - just visit the Federal Department of Transportation website, www.SaferCar.gov.

Beginning with the 2011 model year, the government has established a new and much more rigorous safety rating for all new cars. The upgraded ratings system, unveiled in October of 2010, will evaluate side pole crash testing and crash prevention-technologies. Not only that, but being a crash test dummy is no longer just a man's world - for the first time ever, female crash test dummies are being used in crash simulations to study a car accident's effect on women.

Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood said of the new ratings system, "We're raising the bar on safety. Through new tests, better crash data, and higher standards, we are making the safety ratings tougher and more meaningful for consumers."

The old ratings system, just like the new one, is based on a 5 star rating, with 1 star being the lowest and 5 stars the highest. The problem with the old system was that too many vehicles were able to reach the highest ratings, giving consumers little guidance on choosing between models. Because the standards are now higher, ratings now have much more variance.

Now, the safety of passenger cars, SUVs, vans and pickup trucks in three broad areas - frontal crash, side crash, and rollover resistance - are evaluated. New technological safety features, such as electronic stability control, lane departure warning, and forward collision warning, are also taken into account in the final rating.

One of the most significant changes to the ratings program for consumers is the addition of an Overall Vehicle Score for each vehicle tested. The Overall Vehicle Score combines crash test results and compares them to the average risk of personal injury, wrongful death and rollover potential of other vehicles.

SaferCar.gov also contains valuable information that's important to current car owners as well, including the latest safety recall information and service bulletins for most car models. A car owner with a safety complaint about his or her vehicle can also report it to the The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) on the site.

This is an incredible resource for any car owner as well as anyone shopping for a new car. Your tax dollars paid for it - so make sure you get your money's worth!

January 26, 2011

1. Buying a previously leased luxury auto gives you the ability to buy a luxury vehicle or exotic car that otherwise, you may not be able to afford.

2. It has an extended warranty and will have recently gone through a pretty intense inspection.

3. Some luxury auto manufacturers may include a car history with your pre-owned vehicle.

4. Some luxury autos may include other incentives such as a free oil change, 24 hour road side service, detailing and low financing rates.

5. Since most exotic car lease returns are luxury cars, they are more likely to be in better condition and have lower mileage because of lease contracts with luxury auto dealers.

6. Some exotic car dealers may also offer an exchange or return.

Purchasing from a manufacturer or dealer, however, is not the only way you can buy a lease car. If you are already leasing a car, you will have the option to buy the car once your lease has expired. Why would anyone want to do this?

- The buy-out price in your exotic car or contract may be a great deal.

- You are familiar with the luxury vehicle, you know its history and how reliable it is or is not.

- You may not want to go through the process of shopping for another luxury vehicle or starting a new luxury auto lease.

- You wish to avoid a penalty, like too many miles on your luxury sports car.

- You want to avoid extra fees from excess wear and tear on your exotic car or luxury vehicle.

When you are considering buying your exotic car, make sure you check for the true market value and compare it to what the lease return dealer wants to sell it for. If the true market value price is less than the offer in the contract, you will probably want to try and negotiate. Just remember, the dealer does not want to keep an exotic car or luxury vehicle. They want you to buy a luxury sports car, so they may make you a pretty amazing deal. It never hurts to try!

The Mitsubishi Lancer nobody really wants but almost everyone gets across the pond has become a bit more desirable in the UK with the launch of a new special edition, which as usual translates to additional equipment at a more competitive price. The new edition is called Juro and is based on the Lancer 1.5 GS2 hatchback, which is powered by a 1.5-liter petrol engine gasping out 107-horses and 143Nm or 105 lb-ft of peak torque. The Lancer Juro comes equipped with black leather seats and an integrated Kenwood multimedia system that comprises Garmin Satellite Navigation, Parrott Bluetooth, iPod connection lead and reversing camera as standard. Other standard features include 16-inch alloy wheels, climate control, alarm, leather steering wheel with audio controls, electric windows, mirrors and locks, and a color-keyed rear spoiler to keep all those ponies close to the ground. In the UK, the Lancer 1.5 Juro hatch is priced at £14,749, which includes free metallic paint and VAT.

You need to get in the routine of regularly inspecting your vehicle tires. It is a reliable idea to always check your vehicle tires just before you hit the road. To make sure your vehicle tires are performing at their best, be sure you achieve the following normal maintenance:

Be certain that you keep your vehicle tires properly inflated. The acceptable air pressure for your vehicle tires is stated clearly by the automobile manufacturer and is actually found on the automobile placard somewhere on vehicle door edge, door post, glove box door or fuel door. It is moreover listed in the vehicle owner's manual. The number found on the side of the vehicle tire isn't the correct air pressure. It is the maximum air pressure for that vehicle tire.

While you are outdoors driving your vehicle, you need to realize how to recover from a slide. Skids can even happen to the most cautious drivers. If your vehicle does indeed slide, bear in mind to not thump on the car or truck's brakes, and don't pump the brakes when you have an anti-lock braking system (ABS). In its place use force to the vehicle brakes in a solid method and turn the vehicle in the direction of the slide.

Maintain a secure space from the vehicle in front of your car.

It requires about three times longer to slow down and then stop on wet streets than on dry roads. Because more distance is necessary to stop, it is key not to tailgate. Remain a little greater than two vehicle lengths between your car and the automobile ahead of you.

Learn how to recover from hydroplaning.

After it rains, water generates a barrier linking the road surface and your vehicle tires. The liquid film that forms may cause your car to loose traction and drift or hydroplane on the waters surface. If this takes place, don't hit the brakes. It is better to take your shoe off the gas, hold the steering in place, and gently apply the breaks. If you own a manual transmission, move in the clutch and allow the vehicle slow down on the car or trucks own.You need to get in the routine of regularly inspecting your vehicle tires. It is a reliable idea to always check your vehicle tires just before you hit the road. To make sure your vehicle tires are performing at their best, be sure you achieve the following normal maintenance:

Be certain that you keep your vehicle tires properly inflated. The acceptable air pressure for your vehicle tires is stated clearly by the automobile manufacturer and is actually found on the automobile placard somewhere on vehicle door edge, door post, glove box door or fuel door. It is moreover listed in the vehicle owner's manual. The number found on the side of the vehicle tire isn't the correct air pressure. It is the maximum air pressure for that vehicle tire.

While you are outdoors driving your vehicle, you need to realize how to recover from a slide. Skids can even happen to the most cautious drivers. If your vehicle does indeed slide, bear in mind to not thump on the car or truck's brakes, and don't pump the brakes when you have an anti-lock braking system (ABS). In its place use force to the vehicle brakes in a solid method and turn the vehicle in the direction of the slide.

Maintain a secure space from the vehicle in front of your car.

It requires about three times longer to slow down and then stop on wet streets than on dry roads. Because more distance is necessary to stop, it is key not to tailgate. Remain a little greater than two vehicle lengths between your car and the automobile ahead of you.

Learn how to recover from hydroplaning.

After it rains, water generates a barrier linking the road surface and your vehicle tires. The liquid film that forms may cause your car to loose traction and drift or hydroplane on the waters surface. If this takes place, don't hit the brakes. It is better to take your shoe off the gas, hold the steering in place, and gently apply the breaks. If you own a manual transmission, move in the clutch and allow the vehicle slow down on the car or trucks own.